Three arrested in connection with Jakarta attacks: How events unfolded

Jakarta: Following the attacks on Thursday morning, police authorities on Friday announced the arrest of three people suspected to have been involved in the attack. Here's what happened after the attacks:

9.10 am on Friday

Police have told an Indonesian TV channel that they have arrested three men on suspicion of links to the attack in Jakarta.

Depok area police chief Colonel Dwiyono told MetroTV that the men were arrested at dawn at their homes in Depok on the outskirts of Jakarta.

Dwiyono, who goes by one name, says the men are suspected militants and are being questioned over possible links to the attack Thursday that killed seven.

MetroTV broadcast footage of the handcuffed men being escorted by police.

___

8 am on Friday

The secretary general of the United Nations has condemned the bombings and gun attacks in Jakarta and expressed "his solidarity with the government and people of Indonesia."

A statement released by Ban Ki-moon's spokesman said the secretary general "reaffirms that there is absolutely no justification for such acts of terrorism. He hopes the perpetrators of today's attacks will be swiftly brought to justice."

Thursday's attack in central Jakarta left seven dead, five were the attackers and two were civilians — and Indonesian and a Canadian.

___

3.38 am on Friday

The United States is condemning the terrorist attack in Jakarta "in the strongest terms."

Ned Price, a spokesman for President Barack Obama's National Security Council, says the US will stand by Indonesia's government as it works to bring those responsible for the attack to justice and as it works to build a more secure future.

Price says that the nation's thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims.

Indonesians are visiting the site of Thursday's attack, leaving flowers and messages calling for prayers and national unity.

A large LCD screen on top of the building that houses the attacked Starbucks was broadcasting messages that said "#prayforjakarta" and "Indonesia Unite."

Some people left flowers near the traffic police post that was attacked along with a wreath that read "Deep condolences. We are not afraid."

One man held up a placard that said "After a dark night, there will be a bright sunlight in the morning, don't be afraid God is with us. #pray4jakarta #indonesiabrave"

___

9.30 pm on Thursday

Islamic State group backers have circulated a claim of responsibility for the Indonesian suicide attacks resembling the extremist group's previous messages.

The claim was shared on Twitter late Thursday. The U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group said it also circulated among pro-Islamic State groups on the message app Telegram.

The message said four attackers carried out the assault in Jakarta and had planted several bombs with timers. It said they also wore suicide belts and carried light weaponry.

The statement could not be independently verified by The Associated Press, though it resembled previous claims made by the group, which controls territory in both Iraq and Syria.

Indonesian police said five — not four — attackers and two other people were killed in explosions and gunfire Thursday in downtown Jakarta.

___

8.30 pm on Thursday

The top diplomats of Saudi Arabia and the United States, who are meeting in London amid tensions between the kingdom and Iran, have condemned the Jakarta attack.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir says the attack should "strengthen our resolve to work effectively together to combat the scourge of terrorism."

Speaking to reporters at the same hotel in London, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry echoed him.

"These acts of terror are not going to intimidate nation-states from protecting their citizens and continuing to provide real opportunity, education, jobs, possibilities of a future," he said. "There is nothing in any act of terror that offers anything but death and destruction."

___

8 pm on Thursday

The chief of the U.N. Environment Program says a Dutch man who was seriously injured when attackers set off suicide bombs and exchanged gunfire outside a Starbucks cafe in Jakarta is "fighting for his life."

The UNEP said the man works for the organisation in Jakarta and is a "renowned expert in forestry and ecosystems management" who is part of a U.N. team supporting the Indonesian government in tackling peat land fires. The man's identity has not been released.

UNEP chief Achim Steiner said the organisation "condemns in the strongest possible terms these senseless acts of terror."

The Dutch Foreign Ministry earlier said the man was in surgery. It had no update on his condition Thursday afternoon.

Five attackers and two other people were killed in explosions and gunfire Thursday in downtown Jakarta.

___

7 pm on Thursday

In the Philippines, the military went on "heightened alert" following the attacks in neighboring Indonesia, although it said no specific terrorist threats had been monitored.

Police also beefed up security in train stations, bus terminals, airports and shopping malls and asked for public vigilance.

The Philippine government condemned the attacks. "We stand by in solidarity with our Indonesian brothers and sisters in this time of tragedy," The Department of Foreign Affairs said.

Militants from at least four small Muslim groups in the country's south have pledged support to the Islamic State group, although the Philippine military says there is no evidence of direct contact or active collaboration.

Five attackers and two other people were killed in explosions and gunfire Thursday in downtown Jakarta.

___

6 pm on Thursday

The Aamaq news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic State group, is quoting an unnamed source as saying the group carried out the attack in Jakarta.

The news agency has been used as a source for the IS militants in the past. However, according to SITE, which tracks militant websites, the Islamic Group has not yet issued a communique claiming responsibility for the attack.

The report in Arabic said that a source told Aamaq that "fighters from the Islamic State carried out this morning an armed attack that targeted foreigners and the security forces tasked with protecting them in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta."

___

5.50 pm on Thursday

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz has strongly condemned the attack in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, and expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of lives.

In a statement, Sharif says the people and government of Pakistan "share the pain of Indonesian brethren at this critical moment".

He says terrorism is a common threat to Muslim countries and to fight it is their collective responsibility.